Savior
by Wildeve of the Heath
Summary: No humans live beyond the walls. Danger lurks from the outside. It was always a belief that they were the only humans left in their world.
1. Chapter 1

I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin

No humans live beyond the walls. Danger lurks from the outside. It was always a belief that they were the only humans left in their world.

A/N: Set before the Fall of Wall Maria

* * *

She was nearly getting to the highest branch.

Hanji was sure her gear wouldn't fail her as she gripped her handles, she was going too fast with so much momentum, a titan wouldn't have been able to catch her. She may have been too confident, she may have been too hyped on speed, something made her lose track of her surroundings; all she knew was that going up was good. She was desperate to get away from the ground.

But then something got snagged in her cables.

Her eyes were wide in horror when a large hand came from around the corner of her eye and snatched her cables away from the tree, causing her to be jerked forward and back until she found herself falling. The hand that held her cables were growing distant, she hysterically laughed.

She had to put up a strong suit.

"You caught me!" She screamed, letting her cables forcibly extend themselves. She quickly thought of lowering herself to the ground, abandoning her gear altogether, and then fleeing on foot. It was a stupid plan but it was something. She landed on the ground roughly, grass instantly filled her face and mouth, causing her to splutter and gag.

Her hands nimbly undid her gear's straps, leaving everything to themselves. Even her cloak was forced to come off.

She abandoned the only tool that would save her, she had no other choice. The damn titan was holding hers, she couldn't unhook it. It was a lost weapon anyway as her blades were already spent.

_Where the hell is everyone? Why aren't they distracting them?!  
_

She set off the flare a minute ago, she couldn't have expected anyone to see it though. She was in a damn forest!

Her legs tried to carry her far, at least to where she saw the horses. She was leaping over roots, stones, anything. She had to go somewhere, anywhere.

She rounded a tree and was met by a hand snatching her by the waist, causing her to lose contact with the ground. The impact knocked the wind out of her, she almost lost consciousness. As the fingers of a titan began to crush her, she struggled as best she could but no avail. Her body grew limp as her hands gripped at the hard skin, she was nearly going to see the titan's face until she had lost track of the world around her.

-...-

Levi cantered his horse steadily, hooves beat against the ground with such a perfect rhythm a song could have been written. His hands gripped the reins as he swerved the horse left and right to avoid the trunks of the great trees. Behind him were Petra and Auruo, both clomped by his flank rather closely.

"The flare was lit half a quarter mile from here," Petra reported as a reminder as she leaned a bit forward in her saddle. As a cue, her horse sped at her change of seat so that she would be ahead of them. In turn, the others sped up closely.

"The woman shouldn't have gone to be a decoy with them," Auruo called over to them,"fucking crazy of her."

They leaped over a fallen wood. Levi tightened the grip on his reins and responded,"Nothing is normal of Hanji, we can't expect any less of her but we can't lose her. Petra, are you sure you saw the flare?"

"If I didn't I wouldn't be leading you!"

They went on for a few minutes, in that time Levi's mind thought back to that morning. Hanji was excitedly sitting atop her horse, happily volunteering to be a decoy. Within an hour's notice she split from the main group in their attempts to draw a titan in for an ambush.

His eyes rolled in his head as her obsession may have brought the end of her. She had a few screws loose but it shouldn't count against her for stupidity.

The sound of horses crying caught their ears.

Rounding a tree they discovered a group of horses tied at the base. Jerking back their reins, they skidded to a stop. Levi evaluated their conditions and saw they were unharmed.

"Looks like they were nearly there at getting one," Auruo huffed.

Horses were tied down and hidden so that their riders could travel the trees. This was often done when a titan was in close quarters but only during an ambush. No sound of gears releasing cables or sight of mist from gas tanks were nearby, oddly enough, titans were not present as well.

Levi's horse anxiously pranced about as he checked above his head, his steed snorted and gave a few whines. As he circled about, Auruo dismounted to examine the half dozen horses tied down. A box of flare ammunition laid a few feet away from a dappled mare.

Petra reminded him,"It was red, things went array."

Levi trotted as the woman took a hold of Auruo's horse. Among the band was a sorrel one, it was Hanji's horse. She would have left with it by now but it was still there, patiently waiting. He deduced that whoever lit the flare was in the trees and had simply dropped the box.

"I'll check the area," he told her as he kicked at his mount's sides,"bring the horses back to the camp."

"Yes, sir!" She obediently replied.

He quickly rounded the base of the tree within seconds before a shining glint of silver caught his eyes a few feet away in the brush. He sped up to it and hauled back on the reins, bringing his horse to a walk and then a complete halt. He gave it a pat on the neck as he dismounted to find that a discarded gear and Scouting cloak were left in the brush. His hands checked the sheathes to find that the blades were gone.

The tanks were still full, it confused him at first of how the user was unable to escape to the horses. His thoughts were answered when he saw that the cables were extended outwards. His hand automatically reached for the hilt and pressed the lever to retract the cables, they didn't come back.

_It must have gotten damaged._ The belt and latches were undone so it looked like they were taken off by hand and not by force. A set of footprints in the soil were leading back to the horses, his eyes followed them but they only took a few steps before vanishing._ ...the person didn't make it back on time._

He mounted his horse and cantered back towards their base of operations.

Hanji may have been irritating at times to him but she was still a comrade. Without any sign of her or the group of decoys, she had become another casualty.


	2. Chapter 2

I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin

A/N: Contains spoilers from the manga's Chapter 40 but it's a thought I wanted to play with

* * *

The sound of drums filled her ears, beckoning her to rise from the depths of darkness. It was rhythmic, like the sound of a horse's hoofs upon the earth. Every once in a while, a large thrum of a deep one would resound like thunder, echoing the smaller ones as though it were responding to a distant call. Their beats began to take control of her body, her heart going in time, her breath matched the shallow calls.

Her eyes slowly cracked open to see stars dotting the night sky with a few trees obscuring the view. Scent of something foul reached out to her, causing her to become slightly conscious.

On a down time, one of the soldiers would sometimes bring out a small flute to play but never had she heard drums, those were too large to carry for transport. As voices rose to her, her heart leaped that perhaps she had been rescued and pulled away from hell. Upon the realization of being fully awake, the drums silenced themselves and were replaced by the sound of wildlife.

She lifted her goggles up to rub her eyes, then covered them over once more to investigate her surroundings. She expected to see people but was brought face to face with an individual, a woman, who had the lower half of her body missing. The sight of her clothing told Hanji that she was a Scout. It had been hours that she had been asleep wherever she was as blood had seeped from the dismantled body and into her clothing.

Grimacing, she hauled the body over with a grunt and nearly gagged at the stench of rotting flesh. She laid there, unmoving, thinking back to a time where she would have found gazing at the stars to be a peaceful pastime.

Her mind snapped back into a much more recent scene where she using her gear in an attempt to get to the highest branch, she was racing up there until her cables were snagged by a titan. It was coming back to her when she was running on foot but then a hand came out of nowhere and picked her up in the palm. The rest went black but the final thought was enough to get her to sit up quickly and realize she was not in the best of places to be.

She was still in the forest of giant trees, a location that always brought a hint of dread down her spine. With her Gear gone, she was left defenseless. She checked herself and was stunned to find that she lacked any wounds, there were only a few bruises and tender spots, however. She frantically checked her surroundings, her eyes straining themselves to adjust the moon's light.

Instinct crawled over into her mind, she had to run. Anywhere, somewhere, maybe to the wall, but she had no idea where she was going.

**They are the prey, we are the hunters.**

It was a phrase that was often cheered in their tongue so often at taverns when the men would take their time celebrating that they had returned alive. Even in grim situations, that song would always be sung.

_Without my Gear, I'm completely useless._

"Maybe my discarded Gear isn't broken..."

**I** am the prey, **they** are the hunters.

No, they had always been the prey. The fact had only now begun to settle in her after years of depending on her Gear.

As her legs picked up speed, she began to be wary of the world around her. She ducked behind a tree when she heard the sounds of heavy footfall that caused her to pause and grasp tightly at the base of the tree. She had to find where the horses were kept, she still held the conviction that they were right where she had seen them last.

The only problem was that she was utterly lost.

Her back slammed into the tree and she sank to her knees.

She had no idea where she was. Even if she did manage to locate her Gear, it would be useless out in the field.

Her mind raced back to Ilse Langer. Both Levi and Hanji found her notebook in a place similar to this, within it were the last words of the soldier rambling about her encounter with a particularly odd Titan. Her hand went to her head to rub away the sweat that had accumulated from running, she drew her hand away and, by the pale light seeping in from the trees, she found that there was blood.

Upon seeing the crimson liquid, the throbbing pain within her head had settled to her consciousness, fully addressing her as if to mock her situation. Her breathing was somewhat pained as well as her bloodied hand went to her ribs to find that one of them may have been broken. She must have ignored the pain until now.

Biting back a groan, she may have suffered a rather horrid trauma to the head. She wondered how she could still be alive at all.

The heavy footfalls suddenly grew distant, she grunted and peered around the tree to see a titan wandering away. Eyes growing heavy, she shook off the sleep and ran once again.

-...-

Levi sat at the bonfire with the others. His hands folded to rest his chin as his mind contemplated on what would happen. Erwin had retreated to his tent for the time being to plan accordingly. They were a week's worth away from their home and the commander had to carefully plan their journey.

The sorrel horse that belonged to Hanji nibbled at the grass a few yards from Levi. He stared at that animal as it grazed quietly. The saddle was still on its back but the bridle rested by the fire. A thought crossed his mind as he reached out to pick up the piece of equipment to examine it.

Petra, who was sitting across from him, noticed his gaze at the bridle. She reminded him,"The horse had always belonged to Hanji, it was always with her for the expeditions, even from our days of training."

"I know that," he replied. "Since it's a familial animal, we'll have to return it."

It was traditional (not protocol) to collect the remains of their fallen comrades and return them whoever their families were. They often tried their best; horses, trinkets, clothing, and even body parts were given to relatives. It was heartbreaking to see their faces but it was a sight he saw too often that he had simply run out of responses to give.

He never knew of her family as she spoke often about Titans and, when she is occupied, would spend days at a time cooped up in her cage of a laboratory. She seemed to be void of any social life outside of anything related to the military but he would admit that she was brilliant beyond most that he knew.

The sorrel snorted as its eyes wandered around for more grass.

It grew quiet between them but then the sound of something large moving through the woods of the giant forest, slamming against every tree in its path, caught their attention. Both got up, their Gears were still strapped to their thighs just in case anything happened. His grip of the leather tightened and then he strode to Hanji's horse to place the bridle on.

The sound was getting too close for comfort, even others began to pick up on it as they stood and looked in the direction of the thundering movements.

"What are you doing? We were told not to engage anything in combat!" Petra told Levi as he mounted the horse.

"I'd rather deal with the bullshit in there than here," he told her as he tried to hold Hanji's horse steady. As he was about to leave until Erwin appeared with a flare gun, he loaded it before offering it to Levi.

Erwin had caught on with the urgency as he ordered,"Go in there and take care of it, set off this flare and the reinforcements will come in, I don't want to send a group and lose any more than we have already."

Levi gave a curt nod and he holstered the flare gun. Kicking at his horse's sides, he raced into the forest with several others who took their positions in the branches at the edge of the forest. The thunder of trees were drawing closer by the second but then suddenly, it grew distant as though it made a turn in the other direction. His heels dug into the horse's barrel.

He would give a hunt, he needed something to kill.

-...-

She stumbled over a root, causing her to fall forth and hit the ground hard. Her front seared with pain and she couldn't hold down a yelp anymore. Struggling to breathe, she huffed with her chest heaving, lurching from the agonizing ache. Mud filled her face and covered her nose and mouth, obscuring her sight from her goggles.

Her hands quickly wiped most of the mud and dirt off so that she could breathe, she then lifted her goggles up to her forehead. She didn't want to deal with cleaning those.

At this point, she was seeing stars on the ground. Rolling to her side and then to her back, she was on the verge of giving up. She simply wanted to lay there, wait for a titan, and get this over with. Fatigue had overwhelmed her body, her mind was starting to grow hazy.

_Why hadn't I seen another titan other than that one from earlier?_

With her back to the earth, she waited for the vibrations of a titan approaching from anywhere. Forbid the gods above if an abnormal one were to leap from the trees.

As her eyes drifted close, she saw a figure from above. Her heart slammed in her throat as the shadowy form leaped from the branches above. She got on her shoulders when it disappeared into the darkness. Never before had she seen a Titan move so quickly and so nimbly. Pain echoed from her ribs and she gasped as she began to crawl back against the base of a tree.

"This is how I will die?" She whispered to herself. "Alone?"

As she sat there, her anger, one that she had pent up and masked with her curiosity and kindness towards her enemies had fallen to pieces.

Drawing in a sharp, painful breath, she shouted into the air,"KILL ME! COME HERE! I'M SITTING RIGHT, FUCKING HERE, WAITING FOR YOU TO FUCK ME UP!"

Tears rose to her eyes. She felt fear, she felt rage, she felt utterly helpless. Weak. Defenseless. Hopeless. Her muscles were too sore to bring her to sit up, she trembled at the knowledge that she would be meeting death very soon. She brought a hand to her head, the feeling of blood still gushing from her wound frightened her.

She wanted to scream for help next, she wanted someone to hear her.

"LEVI!" She called desperately. "ERWIN!"

The hazy feeling fogged her mind once again, she was trying to doze away but her fear kept her awake.

"SOMEBODY!"

There was no answer. Hanji tried to recollect herself, tried to get up, tried to think. Her breathing became labored.

Her mind lapsed in and out of reality, her mind shifting between the woods and a black world. A voice came from them, telling her,**"If you hadn't wandered off, I could have taken you back to your group."**

It was gruff, bestial, and downright inhuman but she understood its tongue. Her eyes opened themselves partway, expecting to see a Titan trying to communicate but to her, it was impossible to hear them speak with perfect grammar and not phrases. To her relief, it was a human, a person that clearly she stood an inch taller than Hanji. The soldier stared at her as the steam from the carcass of a Titan spread all around her, obscuring the person's form, casting a heavy shadow.

"Am I...dead?" Hanji dumbly asked in bewilderment.

"No, but your yelling made it easier to find you."

Now it was...a woman speaking. The steam was beginning to clear but she still saw the black form. She may be one of the soldiers of a search party but she certainly didn't act like one.

"Do you want to live or do you want to be fucked up?" The shadow asked.

Hanji instinctively reached out to her, knowing that there was hope. If this was a hallucination caused by her own mind, she gladly took it as reality, it was better than dying alone in the darkness. "...no, I want to live."

Her tears had dried. She was being given a second chance. This was her chance to test if this figure rising from the smoke was real. Much to her utter surprise, a hand grasped hers. She tried to pull but her ribs prevented her from doing so.

Hanji gasped out,"I...I can't get up, I broke my ribs when a Titan grabbed me."

The figure closed in from the steam, Hanji could finally see the features.

Her hair was long and black, unkempt and messier than her own, like she had been living as an animal. Most of it covered her face and, if there was much to see from her, it was difficult due to the mud and grime that had accumulated upon her skin. Hanji could say the same for herself as her own face was smeared in earth and blood.

The only noticeable feature were the freckles below her eyes, but that was only because she was close enough to smell the stench of her breath.

_There's no way this could be a soldier...but there shouldn't be people living here...  
_

The clothes on her were rags tattered as though she had been running through the woods all her life. A stunning realization hit her that she wasn't wearing a Gear. As the woman aided her to her feet, Hanji noticed a raven haired Titan laying close to them, it looked small and had long limbs. The nape of its neck looked like it was torn open rather than sliced by a blade.

"...how did you kill that one?" Hanji asked.

Her savior gave a smug look at the steaming carcass, then shrugged,"Magic."

"Bullshit," she spat as she held her ribs.

"Can you walk?"

Hanji nodded.

"How about run?"

Hanji snorted out a laugh. "Doubt it."

"Your yelling may have attracted Titans to your direction, we need to start moving," the woman told her as she offered a shoulder for support. Hanji took it gratefully and leaned against her, they began to make their way from the truck of the tree and the evaporating carcass.

As they made their way through the forest floor, Hanji threw her glances around the place. "Who are you?"

"Your savior," she told her simply,"I saw you trying to get up there-" Her eyes threw a glance up into the canopy. "-but you didn't make it. Saw your other teammates get killed, too late to help them all except for you. I killed the Titan that broke your ribs and moved you elsewhere until you came to. Some Titans were moving close to us so I had to slaughter those too, when I got back, you were gone."

Hanji gave a nod and joked,"And you killed them with magic."

"Honestly, yes," she pressed on.

Fear had ebbed away when speaking to this...beast of a woman. Her mind was barely awake for her to walk and speak. Touching this person, the physical contact, the support, it made her know that she was real and not imaginary. It was relieving to find someone, for a brief moment she felt safe.

"What are you doing out here?" Hanji breathed out as a sharp pain stunted her for a second. The stopped for her to catch her breath. "Why aren't you in the Walls?"

"I suppose you can say I don't belong there," she replied. "Society and all that, it doesn't fit me."

Hanji stared hard at her, trying to figure her out, but with the distance from her eyes and the lacking of her goggles to see, she couldn't read the woman's expression. Once she fought over the wave of pain, they moved on. She told her in turn,"If you have a way of killing Titans, you should come home with me...let me observe your techniques so that we can further benefit mankind."

It was the woman's turn to joke. "I doubt you would call my methods human."

"But you did it without a Gear-"

"Magic," she told her.

Hanji's face scrunched up. It can't be magic. She was a strong believer in science and, despite already having a defined religion of following the spirits above (on her own terms), only confirmed her reality by observation and physical contact. Touching the woman helping her made her know she was real and, for a strange reason, gave her a sense that she could unlock the future victories of mankind.

Magic was just a folklore. Then again, how the Walls of their world were risen was a mystery all on its own.

A feeling of strength emanated from her savior. She was powerful to take down Titans with her own bare hands since she lacked a weapon of any kind.

Hanji wanted to ask her another question but a wave of blackness came over her. Her hands grasped on the woman and parts of her hair, the woman still supported her. She told Hanji,"We need to keep moving."

She shook her head. The hit she took was screwing with her, it has been screwing with her.

"You took a bad fall, sorry about that." She was referring to the gash on Hanji's head. "I couldn't get to you in time."

"It'll...pass when I get help," she replied. She needed to stay awake, that was the best she could do. "Just make sure I don't fall asleep on you or else I won't be able to wake up. Do you know where everyone is?"

The woman looked around, then shook her head,"No, they left but I'm sure they are still around. If laws of all creatures trying to survive applies to them, they'd be licking their wounds and resting by now. They shouldn't have gone too far off."

"Alright...that's good," she murmured. "Why don't I see any Titans? If you say magic...one more time, I swear-"

"You swear what? You're going to hit me? You can barely keep an eye open." Hanji scowled as the answer was repeated once again. "It was magic."

-...-

Within seconds of riding into the forest, the thunder of the trees had suddenly ceased as though whatever it was had paused. Levi pulled back on the reins, bringing the sorrel to a complete halt. He had to listen for the sound once more but it didn't come.

Moonlight shined from breaks between the branches, illuminating his path. He backed his horse away from the light to remain hidden within the shadows. His hands grasped the reins even tighter until the sound of heavy foot steps came from the north.

Dropping the reins to the saddle and tying them off, he made note of the Titan and then shot hooks to fly up the a branch higher than the estimated height. The Titan was a 7-Meter class, nothing abnormal or deviant about it. He waited for it to pass by and, once the nape of its neck was shown by the light, he dove in for the kill, his hooks shooting out once more to give him speed.

His blades sliced cleanly through the neck. Blood and flesh flew off in the other direction as he descended down to the forest floor. The sorrel emerged from hiding to be by his side as the Titan's body fell limp to the floor with an enormous crash that shook the ground and sent waves for a few dozen feet. The horse bobbed its head, showing its displeasure of the ruckus but it stayed in place with Levi's firm hand.

"Good boy," he murmured. He didn't know the gender but he referred all horses as males when he praised them.

He leaped up and into the saddle.

This wasn't the Titan creating the noise against the trees only moments ago, it was walking and doing no other damage to the surrounding area. He decided to ride on into the night, still searching for the threat to silence.


	3. Chapter 3

I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin

A/N: There are going to be two more chapters and then it'll be done~. Slight Yuri, hence the rating. Remember, set before Fall of Wall Maria. Sort of an AU but hey, fan fiction, eh?

* * *

Her name was Ymir.

She had been wandering the territory of Titans for decades. It was only twenty years ago that she had learned that humans, the source that satiated her hunger, had done their hunting in the great forest here. Over half a century of her life came as a blur, at times she could hardly remember where she came from but she had spent years learning to be able to retain her mind, controlling her form and having thoughts similar to a human.

She would question if she was human at all.

The only thing that kept her in check was her capability of speech, her knowledge of life before fleeing to the outside world, and her ability to hold emotions.

Sure, she had kept her distance from the people but Hanji was definitely not the first nor last that she had come into personal contact with. Like the Titans all around her, Ymir found herself craving for flesh, she was almost tempted to consume her and yet something prevented her from doing so. She felt drawn to keep her alive.

The woman was injured, it was something that didn't suit Ymir too well despite devouring many over years, injured or not. Maybe there was more than just a slight attraction but she pushed it away. No, she wanted to prove to herself that she could retain human emotions, she had to; after all, this was the first time she had unlocked the ability to discard her form as a Titan.

They walked side by side.

Hanji wanted to keep a conversation up so that she wouldn't drift away. Every once in a while, darkness would come into her eyes and obscure her vision but her savior kept her walking, not stopping for rest. Despite going under the assumption that her savior could slay Titans single-handed, she felt that her urgency to continue moving meant that there was more to her than Hanji could figure.

"What's your name?"

The woman gave a quick glance at her before looking around the forest to ensure that Titans were not following. As she scanned the area, she replied,"I have none."

"Really?"

"No, what about you?"

Hanji heaved out a breath and stopped, forcing her companion to pause as well. She breathed,"I won't...I won't as well since you want to play that game."

"Alright, fine by me."

She thought for a moment, then smiled,"I'll call you...hm, we never get female looking ones...what's a good name-? Oh!" She brought a bloody finger and pointed it at the woman. "Sadie! I'll call you Sadie!"

Ymir stared at her, eyes visibly blank. Her lips formed a frown as she said disapprovingly,"You suck at names."

"Hey, at least I give names," she shrugged, putting her hand down and pressing it against her ribs,"ah..."

"C'mon, let's get moving. Here, let me carry you, you're too slow."

Hanji was taken aback as she retorted,"You could have carried me earlier, why're you doing it now!?"

She felt herself being lifted up with Ymir's arms under her back and legs, carrying her bridal-style. Hanji's arms were forced to fold at her chest but she didn't mind, she was being carried and that was the thing she needed most right now. She felt oddly safe and secure in the woman's arms, she heard the beating of a pounding heart that was pumping in time to keep up with her.

"Y'know...this is my fifth time out here," she said sleepily. She tried to stay awake as best she could, she was scared of falling into a coma.

Ymir gave a bit of a shake, causing her to snap back into her waking world. "Fifth time? Hm, you're lucky I bothered to save you."

"Well then, why me?" Hanji stared up at her, with the close distance she could see her expressions. Her brow furrowed as though she were thinking of something to say but it was the most expression she could find; she seemed to be the stoic type, much like Levi. "Why bother this time?"

"I just felt like it."

Hanji huffed and rested her head into the right side of her chest, she let out a soft sigh,"The others that died, they were good people."

"I'm sorry for your loss," she said sincerely. Hanji was surprised that Ymir could show much more than just a monotone voice. "Tell me...did you really think you were going to die?"

"Well, getting lost in the woods for the first time without defense can make any soldier cry," Hanji admitted,"so yes, I thought I was going to-"

A deafening sound of a large object falling to the ground echoed throughout the woods. Hanji's ears picked up on it, telling her that it was three kilometers to the East. She surmised that it was a Titan that had been slain, perhaps the rescue party had decided to show itself. She pointed in that direction.

"Go that way...someone might be searching for us," she instructed, Ymir nodded and began to pick up the pace, kicking her feet into a light jog,"you're pretty strong."

"You're not that heavy," she replied, she then leaped over a log and went on. The swaying motion of Ymir's body rocked Hanji once again, making her eyes drift closed. "Ugh, what'll keep you awake?"

Hanji slowly became unresponsive though she spoke in a low murmur. She began to snuggle close, her body already demanding sleep.

Ymir knew that Titans stayed clear of her. While they would call her names in bestial groans of "Ymir-sama! Ymir-sama!", most often times they would keep their distance, especially at night. They would always be close by, however, but this time, she couldn't sense them; they were being distracted by the rescue team; they had only traveled half a kilometer.

She neared the base of a tree that had roots that curved in an almost circle-like fashion, towering over them by a couple meters. Ymir decided it was the best place to rest Hanji for the mean time.

The grass, slightly slick with dew, made a soft bed. Hanji's eyes flew open, she had regained consciousness and gasped,"Sex!"

Ymir winced at the quiet outburst as she leaned down. "Excuse me?"

"Sex...it'll keep me awake," she answered, nearly laughing.

The black haired woman's eyes narrowed and she replied,"You must have taken that hit pretty hard-"

"No, I'm being serious!" Hanji's hand reached out for Ymir's shoulder and tried to pull her down. The woman, face covered in mud and grime, stayed firmly in place. "...I don't want to fall asleep."

"You're kidding me, right? You do realize that after fucking, you pass out," Ymir told her.

"Well, I read it in a book once when I was studying. Pain lessens when you-"

Ymir rubbed her eyes and sighed. The woman was obviously a virgin. It intrigued her but at the same time, it felt strange to violate her. She had done this so often before, she couldn't pin down exactly why she can't do anything now.

_The injury, it's the injuries she has._

"Hadn't you read anything from your books? Like, herbs, medicines that grow around here for pain relief? I'll gladly collect some of that, hell, weren't you concerned of getting back to your group?" Ymir pointed out to her.

Hanji gave a slow nod.

"Besides, I doubt you'd want to lose your first time out here in the woods with a head injury and a couple broken ribs, not something you'd want to remember."

"True...but if you remove the last part, just replace it with a knight that saved my life," she jokingly told her, though a slight blush smeared on her face. She tried to sit up, Ymir assisted her. Her hands went to remove her coat. She then took the sleeves and wrapped it around her torso. "Tighten it a bit behind me."

Ymir shifted around to be behind her and tied the knot to made sure it was in place. "What good does that do?"

"It'll keep my rib in place for the time being...it's really makeshift but it's all I got," she said, starting to lay back down but Ymir prevented her,"the pressure is making my ribs stay locked."

Ymir's hands were still on her back, the dirt of her fingers smeared on her yellow shirt.

"Is there something wrong?" Hanji asked as Ymir didn't move.

"Nothing, it's just that your neck..." Her words drifted away.

The brunette's hair was tied up and back, exposing the pale flesh to Ymir. It was tempting to her, like it was asking for a taste. The next thing Ymir knew, she leaned forward and gently scrapped her teeth, eliciting a gasp from the soldier.

"H-hey!" Hanji yelped out. A wave of excitement rushed over her at the sudden contact. Her cheeks flushed when she felt her tongue rove over her skin. "...Sadie..."

Rolling her eyes at the poorly picked name, Ymir suddenly pulled away, her tongue licking her lips. She shifted around and went to her front. She saw that Hanji was blushing furiously, even looking away. Ymir brought a hand under her chin and tipped her head up.

"You're lame at giving names," she murmured with a smug smirk.

She pressed her lips against hers, gently. Hanji didn't make any protest to go against her, in fact, one arm went up so that she could grasp at her shoulder. In response, Ymir began to slowly press against her, gently lowering her to the ground with one hand holding her and the other pressing firmly against the ground. Once on her back, Hanji opened her mouth to gasp but Ymir took the chance to nip on her bottom lip.

It was Hanji's first kiss, she never imagined it to be taken by someone she barely even knew and yet, after saving her, she felt she could trust her well enough to let her this close. Her thoughts went to Levi for a moment; they had known each other for a few years but, just like her, he kept to himself about intimate things, thus leaving no chance to form a relationship.

However, there were times when he showed his concern for her. They were close friends but in a way she wanted it to be more. Perhaps he held feelings for her and failed to address it, after all, men let certain things go unnoticed from time to time.

Her time in the labs and researching Titans never permitted her to explore this side of human nature. She had spent an equal amount of time with humans yet hardly formed a close bond; it was because she had seen too many die before her, that further pushed her away from thinking of growing too close. Levi would always be an option for her, she was confident he could never be struck down.

Yet here was this woman above her. She known her for only an hour and already she was on top of her.

Ymir's tongue nudged her way in to taste her, running at the teeth and then the roof of her mouth; the taste of honey and a bit of blood came to her, she may have licked her own wound or something by accident. This elicited a giggle from Hanji as it was tickling her. Her tongue prodded Hanji's and then beckoned her to join in her own mouth. The near-sighted woman obliged and explored Ymir's, tasting a bit of dirt and, oddly, mint; the putrid stench she caught earlier bewildered her.

The woman may have lived in the woods long enough to resort to natural remedies to care for herself but not to treat pain.

Despite the aching from her stomach and throbbing from her head, Hanji tried to enjoy this moment as she playfully nipped at Ymir's tongue. This prompted a growl and she pulled away, a thick trail of saliva connected their mouths. It snapped when Hanji licked her lips. She sighed,"Wow..."

Ymir lowered her lips to her ear and whispered,"Are you still awake?"

The voice sent a shiver down Hanji's spine. She nervously chuckled,"I could be dreaming..."

Her tongue flicked out and licked the lobe of her ear, then went lower to her neck. This sent Hanji's mind into a frenzy. She was starting to lose focus but her thoughts ran amok when she felt teeth at the crook of her neck. A short gasp came from her as Ymir began to bite softly, then gradually rougher. She went on until something shot to her mind, like getting a quick high off of a fume from her solutions.

Heat coursed through her but then ebbed away when Ymir pulled back to get a good look at her.

"Still convinced you're dreaming?"

Hanji's eyes were wide, her mouth slightly agape.

Before her reply, the thunderous footfalls of a Titan was heard not too far. Ymir quickly gathered Hanji in her arms and brought her close against the tree, her body covering hers, shielding it from anything that would come their way. Hanji peered over her shoulder to see a Titan, a 15-meter class, abnormal with two small arms, walk by them without care; it had emerged from the North and was heading due East, where they had heard a Titan fall earlier.

Ymir's hair may have aided in disguising them.

As it went on, Ymir murmured,"It shouldn't be wandering by here..."

"What?" Hanji asked, barely audible and still hazy. She winced at the sharp pain in her chest.

"I suppose whoever is recusing you might be bringing Titans all around them-"

Their bodies were pressed against one another rather closely, Hanji took the initiative and tipped her chin up to meet Ymir. It was a chaste kiss. "Come back with me to the Wall...I'm in your debt for saving me, I'd thank you much more properly but-" Her eyes darted at her ribs. "-you know..."

Ymir gave a slight frown. "I can't go with you at all."

"Why not?" Hanji's hand reached out to hers. The soldier had never gotten so close to anyone, not like this, not to even to Levi or Petra. Thoughts raced to her being back in the laboratory, alone despite having an assistant. This woman, her savior, had made her realize that there was more to life than Titans and the Recon Corps. There was a feeling that needed to be experienced at least once in a lifetime.

She wanted to feel loved and perhaps be in love as well.

Ymir didn't give her an answer, only a kiss. It was deep and slow, sensual and compassionate, an apology that didn't need words. Her free hand went to cradle Hanji's head, her fingers laced through the loose locks, it was long, something that she hoped Hanji would savor in her mind. Reluctantly, she withdrew.

"Sadie," she murmured somberly. She didn't want her to go. She felt the pad of her thumb rub over her skin, she leaned into the touch. "Just come home with me..."

"Look...perhaps one day we'll meet again," Ymir tried to reason,"but...I can't bring myself to go back, not yet."

Hanji was confused. "W-why not?"

Ymir gave that smirk once more. "Magic."

"You can't be-"

"I'm serious, now, just wait here, I'll draw help over and you'll be alright."

She began to pull away. Hanji's eyes widened, her hands reaching out desperately. "N-no, don't leave me here on my own! What if a Titan comes back and-" But Ymir didn't return, she ran off into the dark forest, instantly disappearing beyond the root; she was out of sight within seconds. A feeling of dread washed over Hanji, she was left defenseless and alone. **"SADIE!"**

Tears began to form. Her only companion, her only protection, had suddenly left without offering so much as a goodbye. She felt truly alone now.

Her eyes closed and she began to wail, unsure of what to do with herself. She was abandoned, beaten, and perhaps even heartbroken, so much for one day, so much for her to handle. Her mind couldn't process the sudden loss, she couldn't comprehend it. She didn't care anymore if a Titan were to come, she would embrace death now, a fitting end for her.

What if 'Sadie' never finds the rescue party? What she ended up as a meal for a Titan? She didn't know, she lost confidence in her the moment she left.

It didn't matter. She simply cried and screamed until her voice grew hoarse. **"COME BACK! SADIE! I BEG OF YOU!"**

Above her screams came the pounding against the tree above her. Fear shook her so bad that she convulsed, just like the bark she laid against. The Titan causing that was probably a Deviant, she whimpered, expecting it to suddenly appear before her but it went further away. Regardless, she still screamed for the woman.

-...-

Levi was drawn to the sudden ruckus to the West. He had just cleanly slain a 15-meter abnormal Titan when the thunder in the trees resounded ahead of him. He was back on the sorrel, feeling as though he was blindly leading the steed to nowhere.

It wasn't just the pounding that his attention anymore, but the shrieks that had resonated within it. He tasked himself for slaying the threat that flew above yet he was being drawn in my the sound of a human screaming for help.

**"SADIE!"** Was something he heard, along with pleads for this 'Sadie' to return.

Upon drawing nearer, his ears began to tell him it was Hanji Zoe. The voice was unmistakeable though it was hard to believe that she had managed to survive. Kicking his horse's barrel, he pressed on. The thunder had suddenly stopped as though he had gain whatever attention the Deviant-like Titan needed, but his mind began to focus on the woman.

Levi glared at the path ahead until he found the source of the keening voice. He whirled his horse around a tree and cued it to halt; he had spotted a dim shade of yellow between the roots when he had gone just a bit far. Upon further inspection, he confirmed that the person was still alive and...excessively screaming.

It was, indeed, Hanji, sitting at the base of the tree. Her front was covered down the front with bloody splotches and her jacket was taken off and tied around her torso, he reasoned that she may have broken a rib; she was the person who discarded her Gear and cloak earlier. Dismounting, he approached her; clearly she was in the throes of hysteria, tears streamed down her grimy, dirty face and blood (now crusted dry) smeared on her cheek, mouth was open and letting out that annoying sound.

She was convulsing violently, crying, he got down to one knee and then put a hand to her shoulder. Her head flew up and her eyes, bloodshot, were in disbelief; her screaming ceased at the sight of him.

"A-are you real?" She asked as though she had gone mad.

Levi examined her head, taking note of the nasty gash. "Fuck, you hit your head-"

"S-Sadie, did you see Sadie?" She stammered.

His eyes rolled. "You've gone bat-shit crazy too-"

Her hands clasped to his shoulders, demanding again,"Where's Sadie!? Did you see her? She's got black hair, covered in dirt, wears rags, but she's really, really..." She went on, describing her 'Sadie'.

Levi pried her dirtied hands and then aided her to her feet. She rambled endlessly as he lead her to her horse.

"You got to get Sadie too!" She muttered as they began to take off with her riding behind the saddle.

The threat he originally came to deal with had seemingly disappeared, just like the last of Hanji's sanity; he had to deal with one before the other. Rolling his eyes at Hanji's prattle, he made his way back to the makeshift camp. When Titans began to appear all around them, he set off the flare. He wasn't in the mood to dismount nor leave Hanji to herself.


	4. Chapter 4

I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin

A/N: I know I said there will be one chapter left, but I promise...the next one is definitely the last one~! Thank you for the reviews, this was something I just wanted to write.

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Reinforcements promptly came and eliminated the Titans around them, clearing the path so that Levi could safely ride to camp. He returned with Erwin already commanding an immediate evacuation of everyone; horses, tents, and supplies were being gathered for leaving. The group that had left to attend to the flare signal returned shortly after Levi with only a report of a single casualty.

Petra rode beside Levi as preparations were already made for her team. When she saw the bloody mess known as Hanji, who was still rambling on and on, she uttered,"What the hell happened to her?"

"Get a cart, put Hanji in with the others, she's in no condition to ride," Levi instructed her.

"Well obviously!"

And so it happened.

Within half an hour, they spread out in formation.

Dawn had reached with the sun beginning to color the sky pink. Erwin had placed the carts and injured in the middle of everyone.

-...-

It was truly hell to go on for a week. Somewhere along the way, the brilliant woman, now branded as a madwoman by some of the men (she showed signs of being delirious), had caught a terrible fever, forcing her to be kept under watch throughout the journey. Both Petra and Levi switched places to keep an eye on her as she stayed in the cart with the others; she had a head injury, something that needed to be cared for in the Walls, and now, a fever, something that demanded sleep.

Petra's turn to keep watch came and so she sat at the edge, one hand holding the railing while the other supported Hanji, preventing her from falling to the middle where another injured man was. They were only an hour away from Wall Maria and were planning to enter through Shiganshina, thus, all formations have broken and they had returned into a single file line.

"She stopped asking for Sadie," she reported when Levi trotted by.

Hanji had barely spoken, in fact, she had stopped talking two days ago. It was from exhaustion; all had assumed she went over the edge for some reason, yet the levelheaded ones reasoned she was hallucinating from her trauma.

Levi peered over at them, then at Hanji. The medic had done his best and wrapping her head with gauze, he attempted to reset her ribs but she still needed better treatment from home. Petra reached over, took a canteen of water, poured it over a cloth, and brought it to Hanji's forehead. With a fever lasting this long, the medic had also stated he doubted she could make it back alive at all.

This was the third day she had been inflicted, she never showed signs of getting any better. It was wonder how she was even still living.

"That's a good thing," Levi told her,"at least she's still breathing. Wake her up."

Petra gently nudged Hanji, the woman groaned in response and cracked an eye open. Those brown orbs tiredly looked up at them before being hidden away; that was her only way of communication. Petra gave a worried glance and then motioned for him to come close. She lifted Hanji's head to expose her neck to him.

"I was washing her face this morning after the medic said it was alright move her around, I found this soon after," Petra informed him. Upon her clear skin were the remnants of a fading bite and a bruise that was ebbing away; surely it was proof someone had taken a bite at the skin. "It looks like it's getting better."

Levi studied it for a moment. "...did you tell anyone about this?"

"Only you, Corporal. I guess this means...Sadie is real."

He gave a visible frown. "Don't let anyone know of this, especially not Hanji. I don't want her to sir up shit, it's enough she has an obsession with Titans. For all we know, it could have been a wolf that bit her, gave her rabies or something, made her go fucking crazy-"

"But this means there could be others living beyond the Walls, wouldn't we-"

Levi' overpowered her. "I'll ask her personally about this when she gets better, for now, just keep this to yourself. Don't come to stupid conclusions."

Reluctantly, Petra nodded and returned to attending Hanji.

-...-

Hanji awoke to find herself in the infirmary of the Shiganshina headquarters.

Everything was a blur. She remembered as far back as trying to escape a Titan's grip but then after that, well, she was drawing a blank. There was an incredible soreness coming from her torso, she surmised she had been rescued after she had lost consciousness. Her hand went to her head, it was throbbing yet bearable. She groaned as she rubbed one eye.

"You finally broke through," she heard Levi's voice,"about fucking time."

Hanji huffed. "How long?"

"Five days after we got here, you nearly had it for a full week. Both the medic and Doctor Yaeger said you wouldn't make it, guess you're in debt to them, you fucking Four-eyes," he informed her. Judging from his voice, he was sitting to the right of her at the bedside. "Do you feel you can speak?"

"Yeah," she managed to say as she tried to sit up. She expected him to help her but he didn't, he stood there with his arms crossed. Eventually, after a brief struggle, she propped herself up and onto her elbows, only then did he give her pillows to support her back. He offered her her glasses, she gratefully took them and saw the world clearly. "...I know most wouldn't want to know, but what happened?"

She saw Levi take a hold of his tea, it was resting with a set on the bedside table; a book was nearby, it told her he had been waiting and keeping watch over her. He sipped some of the beverage and placed it down. He began,"You were part of a decoy group-"

"I know that part, I set off a flare and no one came. My cables got caught and I had to leave my Gear, after that, well, I can't remember anything."

"Alright, I'll start to when I found you. You were at the base of a tree, a complete, bloody fucking mess; you broke some ribs and got a bump to the head, it took Doctor Yaeger a couple hours to reset your skull as best he could and also staple a couple of your ribs-"

"The ribs were from getting crushed by a Titan," she explained,"and my head...I must have hit a rock or something when I dropped, I don't know."

Levi continued to stare at her with those intense eyes that were lined back under the orbs. She grimaced at seeing that look, she wished he offered better expressions but Levi was Levi, he would never change. A chill ran down her spine, the way he was looking at her felt familiar but it was like her mind retracted from pulling out a memory.

"Not surprising, Doctor Yaeger told us you'd suffer some form of amnesia from both trauma and the fever," Levi told her. "Anyway, when I found you, you were screaming for someone to come back. You weren't screaming for help."

Hanji's brows creased at that. "Really?"

"Bloody-murder, yes, you really were. Do you remember Sadie?"

That name rang a bell to her as her eyes widened. She tried to think back once again, then she was met with a blank thought. That name sounded important to her, though the meaning had been stripped away, she couldn't remember why.

Levi pressed on. "You kept asking for her throughout the trip, do you not know?"

_Sadie. Sadie. Sadie._ Her fingers pinched the bridge of her nose. _I may have became delusional after getting hurt...Sadie was probably a hallucination, something terrible may have happened, my mind may have tried to cope with it._

Hanji tried to think harder. It was like trying to read a book and at the reader's disparage upon finding the climax of the plot, a page had been torn out. She had to accept it and, somewhere down the line of her life, it would all come back to her; she couldn't spend the rest of it trying to remember what happened, she could die the next day and her efforts of research would go down the drain.

However, in her chest, she strangely felt empty. It was like something had began to grow there and taken root before being pulled out. The woman couldn't make sense of this but perhaps it would be better that she couldn't remember.

Slowly, putting her hand down, she licked her lips and shook her head. "...no, I don't know who Sadie is. Do you know her?"

Levi sighed. She couldn't tell if it was out of relief or exasperation. "You were the one who raved about her. God, you're a grown woman, Hanji, you shouldn't be having imaginary friends, it's enough that you have a perverted obsession with our enemies. Only the insane have those, perhaps you are insane yourself, given what you do."

She was used to this sort of talk. She shrugged. "Who knows-" Her finger went to her head tapped her temple, she gave a smile. "-maybe this mind will unlock the victories of humanity." Suddenly, she frowned and placed her hand down again. "But I suppose it's better to not know certain things."

"Hm, for once you make a sane decision," Levi said, drinking his tea once more,"well, get back to sleep, you might relapse on your fever."

His eyes gazed at her, she took notice of it. He was staring at something, she asked,"What? Is there something wrong?"

"No, just go to the sleep."

Little did she know, he was staring at the bite on her neck. It had become little markings by now and was only visible to those who knew of it. Petra had kept quiet about it, just as he instructed her. When she had no reaction to the name Sadie, he had concluded that she had simply gone delusional for the time being. The Doctor had assured them that Hanji had not contracted a severe illness of any kind, such as rabies, that would have driven her into the state he had found her in the forest.

_"She only needs rest to regain her grip on reality,"_ Doctor Yaeger's voice echoed to him as he watched her ease herself onto her back_,"she may have lost some memories along the way, so give her time. Hopefully it is limited to the present day rather than her past."_

-...-

Erwin had placed Hanji out of duty for the next month to give her time to recover, along with the others.

The Recon Corps had decided to take that month to recover their its bearings as well. Slowly, things became normal, everyone continued on with their lives. Levi visited Hanji every so often to keep her company, he showed dislike in her but, as a close friend, he felt obligated to see her. Petra and Mike would drop by as well, leaving books from Hanji's study so she wouldn't bore or annoy Levi to death.

By one week, her illness had gone.

By two weeks, Hanji was able to walk again without having someone to help her. She never spoke of Sadie again, much to Petra and Levi's relief. The Corporal insisted that the bite came from an animal, Hanji never knew of it as a mirror was never offered to her, and Petra was willing to accept the story as is.

She was released from care with prescriptions of pain medication. Soon enough, she was back in her lab, fiddling away with various samples of Titans and chemicals.

Everything had fallen to being relatively normal. At times she would lose her focus, her thought process would stall but instances like that would be overcome and she would return to work. When she had just figured a way to prevent Titan blood from staining their cloaks, she was informed that the Recon Corps had decided to send a division out to the field earlier than what Erwin had originally planned.

Still under the hiatus of three weeks (her month of recovery had not been fully completed), she rode on horseback to bid Levi and the others farewell and good luck. That day, she wore a long, simple dress and had a shawl wrapped around her, she looked much like the civilians around her as she held to her sorrel's reins. By the time they reached the end of Shiganshina, the gates had slowly opened, the group had walked out of it with the new recruits singing the old tavern song, not knowing of the dangers that lie ahead of them all.

Once the gates had closed, she rounded her horse back up the main road and decided to head back to her lab where she could occupy herself as she waited.

Another week, the fourth and final one, had come by.

It greeted her with the sound of bells ringing just a bit passed noon, signifying the return of the Recon Corps. She was excited to show off the new cloak she had developed during her time, it would cause the blood of Titans to vaporize in an instant; some would care less about it but she knew Levi would particularly be thankful for such an invention. She chose not to ride out today to meet them, it would have been a sore sight to see the defeated; she ranked among them so seeing them would remind her that humanity had not gained a foothold in its war against Titans just yet.

Garbed in her familiar uniform, she met up with the injured who limped and licked their wounds all the way back to headquarters.

Levi was the last few who arrived, his eyes darkened with an obvious grief but he tried to not show it as best he could. When he spotted her, he gave her a fierce glare but it didn't stop her from approaching. She came by his side and silently walked beside him. When she had escorted him to his room, he told her,"Leave me alone, I can take care of myself, you Four-eyed fuck."

"No, you took care of me so it's my turn to do so for you," she replied defiantly. It earned another glare but it softened when she pushed in and readied the bath. He achingly removed his Gear and propped it against the door, along with his fan. His cloak, soaked in Titan blood, was tossed to a hamper, along with his jacket.

"I'm not injured," he informed her as he found her drawing the bath half-way. He tossed his jacket to another hamper in the bathroom.

"Mentally, you are, you're showing it like a badge," she pointed out to him, going over to undo the straps of his harness. It would take one person to get it on but normally, after a tenuous day, two would often be useful. She took off the back vest and he did the rest, following it was the dress shirt that was now drenched from sweat and blood.

They didn't speak at all when he got into the bath. Levi didn't mind her watching him nude, he figured Hanji was just Hanji, her interests would lie in Titans rather than people. He saw her as a perverse individual when she referred to such beasts as her pets; they were supposed to capture a Titan for research over the course of a week but complications arose and they were forced to retreat.

As he took a deep breath, he heard Hanji break the silence,"I had a dream last night."

This was a first to hear her speak of something personal to him. His brow quipped up as she went to sit at the edge of the window that was parallel to the bath. He snorted,"I'm not a therapist you can pour your secrets to." He wanted to see how she would react. She didn't look at him as her attention was drawn to the outside. She situated herself on the windowsill with the glass opened outwards. "Also, if you're contemplating suicide, I'm not catching you."

It was a four story drop. The window faced the gate of Wall Maria, it was the one that lead to the territory of Titans; the sun had begun to set, leaving a reddish tint to the sky that was lined with yellow clouds.

Hanji continued on, ignoring his indirect threat. "It was about bits and pieces of what happened before you rescued me."

"I thought we had this conversation already," he deadpanned her.

She shrugged. "I remember running in the darkness and then someone was there-"

Levi rolled his eyes. "It's your mind fucking with you. You saw no one, you saw nothing. Can you just drop it?"

Hanji brought her knees to her chest and she rested her head on one, she faced him and gave a soft look. She chuckled,"I guess you're right then."

It grew quiet once more. Levi began to scrub away at his skin as she looked out the window, proposing another question.

"Had you ever felt truly alone?"

It was his turn to let out a soft laugh under his breath. "I ought to ask you the same considering you coop yourself up in your lab every day. You've been like that since we joined the Recon Corps." He lathered the soap once again. "...I've had a team wiped out before my eyes the first time I went on an expedition, I was the only one who survived. I suppose that was the first time I felt true loneliness, it was brief since Erwin came to me by the end of the hour."

"That was the same for me earlier." She was referring back to the slaughter of the decoys. "I always wondered...why we were both able to live through that, we could have given up but we carried on. I can't see how I managed to handle that on my own, so...I'm fully convinced someone was there."

Levi washed his face with the water, splashing it over while letting out an obvious irritated sigh. He grabbed towel and began to dry himself with his back to her. He wrapped it around his waist and strode to the wardrobe in the bathroom. "Aren't you supposed to be a scientist? You're only convinced you see and touch what's there? Fuck, you even gave a lecture on how it's impossible for anything paranormal to exist."

"True." She would agree to that, she looked away so that he could have privacy to get into a new uniform.

"If you continue your raving about this, you're going to convince yourself that you used magic to save yourself..."

Her eyes widened at the word. "M...magic?"

Everything else he told her drowned out, she felt something come back to her, something that her mind had attempted to lock away; he saw the expression on her face change, he stopped speaking as well. She was getting close to remembering, all too close, but then a flash of light blinded them both and the sound of thunder over the earth pulled her thoughts away; the building rumbled and she nearly fell, he reached out with one hand and caught her by her shoulder, keeping her balanced.

There were screams in the distance and their attention was brought to look outside. Above the wall was the head of a Titan that clearly towered over the 50 meter barrier of Wall Maria. It took a full minute for them to process that it was there, it took a full minute for that...creature of sorts to suddenly kick a hole into the gate. Within a matter of seconds, all Hell broke loose within the city.

As they watched in horror of the debris raining down upon the innocent with the giants flooding through the hole, Levi quietly and calmly instructed the woman that had frozen in place,"We're in no condition to fight, not now...gather everyone, tell them to retreat behind the back gates."

"What about the evacuation of the civilians?" She asked, her voice slightly shaking.

"The able-bodied will take care of it, for now, get the injured out of here..." When she didn't move, he barked. "Now! Go! It's a fucking order, didn't you hear me, you Four-eyed shit!?"

He barely had time to tie together his ascot under his collar as both took off, running out of the bathroom; he lagged behind to equip himself with his harness and Gear while Hanji fled to round up the hospitalized troops. The rest that happened was simply chaos.


	5. Chapter 5

I do not own Shingeki no Kyojin

A/N: This story may or may not be continued, the course of this story will be determined by my will so I shall leave this uncompleted. I am waiting for the fate of Ymir in the following chapters of the manga, if, at whim, I feel I can continue this story then I shall. Until then, enjoy this.

* * *

Five years passed since the Fall of Wall Maria.

So much had occurred over that time frame. They had lost so much but with the advent of unlocking Eren's powers and possibly the future victories of mankind. The discovery of Titans within the actual foundations of Wall Rose, the learning of Annie Leonhart being the Female Type Titan, and the suspicion of someone threatening to bring the end to humanity was in their midst. It was all something to alter the course of their history.

After the recapture of Trost, mankind was gaining a foothold in the war against Titans.

Ymir yawned out of boredom in her saddle. She looked over to see Christa mounting her own steed, her legs were covered by the skirt of her dress. It felt right to see her in such a plain outfit, it suited her. When Christa spotted her staring, Ymir gave a soft smile and nudged her horse closer to hers.

"Your saddle's a bit off," she pointed out.

"Oh? Thanks." The blond shifted her saddle until she was in center.

"Ugh...I was looking forward to sleeping in since it's our day off."

They were awoken early by Nanaba, a Squad Leader, and were ordered to put on civilian clothes instead of their usual uniforms. The younger members had found themselves out of their usual uniforms for the first time in what felt like ages; some found it relieving, others grew suspicious. Within an hour, they were all assembled at the stables on horseback where a particularly odd woman was speaking with Mike. She, too, was on horseback, fully clothed in uniform.

Ymir guided her horse to walk by them with Christa following closely. She overheard the conversation.

"...just make sure they stay there. Nanaba will fill you in on the details," the woman told Mike. She leaned down in her saddle and handed him a piece of parchment. "Here's the roster and map, make sure you got everyone on there. I don't know everyone listed here except for Eren and his friends, and you know where they are-"

Mike nodded. "Yes, yes, I know, Hanji. Just relax, we got this."

"I'm relaxd, I just didn't like how Erwin told me to be the messenger. I have so much to do, you see, I found something off of Annie..."

Her too familiar voice faded out when they got the edge of the stables. Nanaba was standing by the gate, waiting for Mike's order to open it for everyone to leave. Ymir tightened her hold on the reins and forced her horse to turn so that she faced the others that were readying to leave.

Sasha and Connie were openly complaining about something but doing so in a way that was out of earshot of their superiors. Her eyes drifted over to where Reiner and Bertolt were standing by with their own horses, though they hadn't mounted just yet; she kept her sights trained on them as they seemed to be discussing something rather too closely.

"Do you think this has to do with Annie?" Christa asked. Word had reached everyone about Annie's power.

Ymir didn't take her eyes off of Reiner as she saw him shake his head. "I wouldn't be surprised. Despite not holding a close relation to her, we were her classmates; we count for something."

Christa gave an understanding nod and then stroke the black mane of her bay. "It's like people are revealing themselves to be Titans, it's causing quite a stir."

She remained quiet as she tried to listen closely to Bertolt, but she was interrupted by the woman known as Hanji. She was approaching them at a trot, her attention was brought to her.

_That yellow shirt, well, what do you know...they found her_. She could recognize it anywhere. And the goggles, she knew that the human she rescued several years ago wore those. It was no coincidence, she remembered that woman and now had a name. She expected Hanji to halt her horse, something in her wanted the woman to stop and see if she can recall her, but then the Squad Leader broke it into a canter without the intention of stopping.

She didn't even spare so much as even a glance, it left Ymir slightly confused with eyes opened a bit more in shock.

"Open the gate!" Mike called over to Nanaba. "She's leaving!"

The man opened it wide enough for her sorrel to blaze through. As soon as she had passed Nanaba, she galloped into the direction of the Recon Corps headquarters within Wall Sina for whatever business she had. The rest of them were bound for the Hermiha District, from there, they would be stationed between Wall Rose and Wall Sina.

Ymir bit her lip as she quickly recalled what had happened, in her mind, she could still hear Hanji's screams; a tinge of guilt fell over her but, at the time, she held the justification that she couldn't afford to return with her, not yet. When Wall Maria fell, she took advantage of the chaos and slipped in. She wandered aimlessly (consuming a child along the way) until the midst of an advancing winter when she chose to live as a human, and then Christa came into her life.

The transition, she figured, would be permanent.

She watched until Hanji had disappeared behind the dust that her horse had kicked up. She was tempted to run after her, to reach out and apologize for what she had done.

"Do you know her?" Christa's voice came out to her. Obviously she took note of Ymir's gaze.

Ymir brought her attention to her. She shook her head. "Nah, she just looked familiar...I thought she was a friend that died a while back."

"You should go check," she told her, much to her surprise,"she isn't that far."

"No, I couldn't," Ymir modestly replied, eyes a bit more open with Christa's suggestion. "It's a complicated matter."

"Well, if you two fought before you guys got separated, now's the chance to patch things up. Think about our line of work...you're having a chance most Scouts don't have," Christa reasoned,"look, Nanaba left the gate open. Don't worry, I'm sure you won't draw much attention."

Ymir sat deeply in the saddle, her mind clouded by whether or not to reconnect with the Squad Leader. She had already vowed to protect Christa and, over the course of their time together, had developed strong feelings, an overall love; it was, indeed, the first time she had bonded so closely to another being, Hanji was simply like a seedling that took root but was suddenly pulled out the soil and not given a chance to grow. She felt the attraction before and, after the long time of not even knowing she lived or not, accepted that she was no longer going to be a part of her life.

It was guilt of leaving her that was instilled with her heart throughout this time.

Resolving her thoughts, she left Christa to herself and went to Mike. She voiced out,"Permission to speak with Hanji."

Mike gave her an odd look. "She's in a hurry, why would you-"

"It's a very important matter, she needs to know," she reasoned in a low voice,"I promise I'll return shortly."

He contemplated her quest, then nodded. "Permission granted. You have ten minutes."

Without thanking him, she rounded her horse and headed for the gate. Nanaba was too slow to close it but she heard yelling that told him that he should keep it open. She blazed passed all and, most importantly, Christa. The poor girl had no idea of the history between Ymir and the woman, she would prefer to keep it that way; she would only take this chance to apologize.

The last look she received was a confident smile from the beautiful girl, she returned it in kind with a quick nod.

-...-

Hanji tore over the main path, she had already delivered the morning assignment to Mike. With the Recon Corps going into a full search of itself to find Annie's accomplices, she had barely gotten a few hours of sleep. She was busy piecing together what she could about Annie's origins and, with a second thought in mind, she waited on the background checks of the rest of the 104th Trainee Squad.

Most of the organized paperwork were lost during the chaos of Shiganshina five years ago while the rest of it had gone up in flames during the Battle of Trost, it would be difficult to salvage anything by that point but, so long as they kept searching, there was hope.

As she came towards a bridge, she heard the sound of another horse coming her way. Throwing a look over her shoulder to see a raven haired girl riding at break-neck speed, easily catching up to her.

Hanji spotted her standing at the gates near a blond girl when she had went to deliver her message at the barracks. It was probably urgent so she sat deeply in her saddle and gently pulled back on the reins. Her horse began to slow and eventually came into a full stop over the wooden bridge. The girl did the same, her black steed clopping slowly until she brought it to a halt a few feet away.

"I'm in much of a hurry," Hanji told her in earnest,"did Mike forget something?"

The girl had eyes that were piercing into her soul despite having a bored expression. Slowly, they softened as she scanned Hanji, taking in her appearance. When no words came from her, Hanji began to turn her horse's head.

"Get back to the barracks, Cadet."

"Wait."

Hanji glanced back as the black haired girl walked her her to be besides hers. Her voice showed that she was getting irritated from being stalled, she snapped,"What is it?"

"Um...five years ago-"

Hanji's mind was brought to focus, her attention when on the girl when she mentioned a the years. Could she have the answers she could have been looking for? Does she know who the accomplices are? Wait, how does she even know the purpose of them wearing civilian clothes for the day? Weren't they supposed to be oblivious to Erwin's plan?

"-I left you in the forest outside of Wall Maria. I came to apologize for what I done...but it was what I had to do."

Eyes narrowing, she squinted in disbelief. The story sounded familiar.

_How can a teenager know of what happened to me?_

She slowly inquired,"What's...your name, Cadet?"

"You called me Sadie at the time."

_That name...Sadie...**SADIE!**_

Her mind was brought to a screeching halt. The world around her became nothing but her and the girl on the black horse. Not even the stream that gently dribbled below the horses' hooves came to her, the sound of songbirds disappeared, even the gentle wind of the season spring had disappeared. In turn, the sun had disappeared, the trees grew around her to be tall, and the darkness returned to her.

Breaths going shallow, memories flooded into her mind; her eyes went left and right, trying to comprehend who this person was.

_Levi told me about this name before...why am I reacting to it now? The real thing...the real person is right before me...oh god, she was real?_

Biting her lip, she remembered being helped up, being carried, being touched, her kiss.

Feelings that had been locked elsewhere into her mind had flooded back; she was saved by her, she trusted her, and she...was left by her.

_It is her._

Hanji remembered that chaste kiss they shared, she recalled screaming for the woman until her voice grew hoarse, she felt the fear of being alone slam back into her. It all came back to her like a bullet to the chest, she even flinched in her saddle.

The girl's voice reached out to her. "...Hanji?"

"You're Sadie," Hanji said breathlessly, concluding who she was. Her eyes snapped up to her and she looked at her directly into those honey-colored eyes. The girl was giving her a worried look. Reality returned to her, a long gust came over them, beckoning the soldier into addressing the girl head on. She reached out to touch her shoulder, her bare fingers fiddled over the cloth of her sleeve. "...so you're real."

The girl's brow creased with concern. "What makes you think otherwise?"

"I just...I couldn't remember who you were, after all these years, but...you're the one who saved me," she began slowly, she looked down at her legs and then back up to her. It was strange to see her without the long, unkempt hair that made her look more beast than human; what definitely made her identifiable were the freckles that dotted the skin under her cold eyes. "But then you left. Why did you leave me? I screamed for your name, I-"

Her voice picked up in urgency, the feeling of being weak and helpless came to her. It was strange to experience this once again.

"I got scared of getting close to you, I couldn't go with you at the time but...I'm here now," she told Hanji, trying to calm her,"I told you we'd meet again. Besides...I did, in fact, leave you so that the rescue party could find you. I got their attention for you, after that, you had gone. I didn't have a chance to say goodbye, I would have."

The girl looked reluctant in her words, she obviously felt regret for what she had done. It was comforting for Hanji to know that...'Sadie' didn't do this out of cruelty. True, as it all came back to her, Levi had found her just minutes after her savior had left. She accepted it, nodding in agreement, and the apparent confusion and hurt she felt, most of which that had resurfaced just now, had found a resolved end.

"It's good to know that you hadn't done this out of spite or anything...I guess a thanks are in order," Hanji concluded, she leaned over in her saddle and brought a hand under the girl's chin. But, much to her surprise, the girl shied away, her chin slipping out of her fingers.

Her hand gently nudged her wrist away.

The girl gave a sigh,"I'm sorry, as much as I'd love to accept that...I've already dedicated myself to someone else." Hanji felt her heart slam in her throat at the sound of her confession. "I figured that you would have done the same by now. I only came here to apologize for what happened, nothing more. "

Hanji sat properly and had a crestfallen look, she tried to rub it away by wiping her nose and snuffling. She gave a hesitant nod. "It's...understandable. Five years is a great distance, and we only known one another for several hours-"

"Don't take it as a way that I hadn't thought about you over this time, because not a day goes by in which I wish I didn't leave you on your own, let that comfort you," she reassured her,"guilt takes a toll, y'know?"

"Yeah..."

They stood over the babbling brook, reins loose in their hands. One snorted while the other impatiently pounded the wooden bridge. It was silent between them, they were at a loss for words. This girl..._the one who saved her_...was _that woman_. She always held the conviction that she existed somewhere, she was real and beyond the walls, yet here she was, living amongst human society.

She thought they could pick up from where they left off. It hurt her to learn that there was no such chance. It was another part of reality that she had to accept. For now, she thought back to her original task of returning to headquarters, she would have to face this when time permitted.

Hanji turned her horse back. "C'mon. I'll escort you back to the barracks, all of you are under watch. Why Mike would let you come to me is a wonder..."

"Simple, I told him I needed to speak with you," she replied as their horses began to trot.

"A good reason then...so when did you decide to be a part of this society? What convinced you to come behind the Walls?" Hanji began to post in time with her horse as hers was a bumpier breed.

The woman explained,"My first goal was to look for you, make sure you were alive. Unfortunately, time wouldn't permit so I ended up wandering around the place after the Fall of Wall Maria. After all, I came from the outside world. You're not bothered by how I came to be here?"

Hanji looked thoughtful for a moment, her eyes flickered over to her. "That part, I guess I can piece together from what I learned of Eren...and also of Annie. You're a Titan-shifter. Considering that you joined the military for your own agenda rather than tearing us down, I say you decided to stay as you are here for your significant other."

"You're quite sharp," the woman complimented her.

If her predictions of the 104th Trainee Squad members having some sort of ability to turn into a Titan were true, it wouldn't have taken an idiot to understand the woman's true powers. These occurrences had only surfaced after the Fall of Wall Maria when teenagers of that time had graduated, Hanji figured that this woman may have sneaked into their world amongst the chaos and the disguised herself as one of them.

Hanji pulled back on the reins when they approached the barracks, her savior did the same as well. "You didn't defeat those Titans by magic because...you're one of them. Under normal circumstances, I would have apprehended you and taken you in for questioning, but I doubt you have any role to play with Annie, correct?"

"Honestly, I thought I was the only one here who could turn into a Titan. I've lived beyond Wall Maria for quite some time, I never knew of anyone until I went into the military. Would it be alright to ask something?"

"...sure."

The woman lowered her voice as they drew near. "Are you not arresting me because you feel in debt to me? I could be an enemy for all you know."

"I'll be sure to give proper thanks when the time comes," she told her,"besides, I will hold you for questioning soon, just not at the moment. I trust you to not do anything brash so long as your significant other-" She said so a bit pained but tried to hide it. "-is in our hands. Go on, now, just walk up there."

Once they had arrived close to the barracks, several of the others turned their attention towards them, wondering why their comrade had fled in such a hurry. Hanji only stopped a few ways away to see off the woman who she knew as Sadie.

When she had returned to the barracks, Hanji turned heel and sped away. It had never occurred to her to ask for the woman's real name.

A small tear came to her, she blinked it away.

Now was not the time for emotions.


End file.
